DEI Addressed at Women in Aviation Conference

DENVER—The opening session of the 36th annual Women in Aviation International Conference began with a thank-you to the thousands in attendance and quickly turned to addressing the elephant in the room: the current political climate surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and the impact this may have going forward on the aviation and aerospace industries.

In her opening address, WAI CEO Lynda Coffman noted she wrote several versions of her opening address before the presidential election and then updated it in January after the Trump administration announced the removal of programs described as DEI.

"These are extremely turbulent times. The world has changed," Coffman said. "We are seeing significant setbacks in all the progress we made in gender equality in our industry," noting it is due in part to government policy and "the negative rhetoric in the wake of the unfortunate incidents that happened in Washington, D.C., and in Toronto."

Coffman referenced the recent removal of 26,000 articles and photographs that trigger the DEI algorithm because they mention people of color, women, or anything to do with LGBTQ+. This has resulted in the removal of information about the Tuskegee Airmen, the Black pilots who flew fighters during World War II and provided cover for bombers, and the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs), who flew noncombat but critical missions to the war effort, to be removed from government websites. 

Coffman also noted that the photograph of the B-29 Enola Gay was pulled. Enola Gay was the name of the mother of Colonel Paul Tibbets, the pilot of the famous bomber, and at the time, pilots often named their aircraft after a woman in their life. The B-17 Memphis Belle and the P-51 Glamorous Glennis are other examples.

"As we sit here now our hard-won achievements and accomplishments are being erased," said Coffman, adding that the rhetoric along with negative race and gender stereotyping that is now becoming more widespread could lead to a smaller talent pool in the STEM disciplines, resulting in a weaker, less qualified workforce as fewer people will see the industry as a career choice because of the negative stereotyping.

Women in Aviation is a not-for-profit entity. The annual convention is part trade show, part job fair, and part educational workshop, covering everything from best practices for networking, developing job skills, and career planning to, and perhaps the most important, getting information about future careers. 

Airlines and government agencies, along with the military, regularly attend as exhibitors as it is a chance for them to meet people interested in careers and recruit new employees.

This year, however, of the 180 exhibitors, attendees won’t find the FAA, United States military, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) bowing to the government’s policy on DEI.

Coffman was followed by Emily Calandrelli, the creator of Emily’s Science Lab, a YouTube program geared toward children. Calandrelli is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an astronaut. She broadcasts age-appropriate science shows on multiple platforms and noted that children who become the pilots, engineers, and scientists in the future need role models during their childhood years—or else they may not be aware that those vocations are open to them.

Calandadrelli noted her degree in engineering allowed her to make a good living, but she opts to spend part of her time creating age-appropriate and award-nominated scientific edutainment content to reach children, saying you can get the education and the job, but if you don’t feel like you belong there, it will be a challenge.

“They need a sense of belonging to be successful,” Calandadrelli said.

The WIA conference runs until Sunday.